Trailercana Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours Videos Antsy in Performance Living in Aluminum Skinny Women Ain't Hip Wreck of the Bookmobile Where Antsy McClain comes from, a seven-course dinner means road kill and a six pack. There are two traditional responses to that background: fight or flight. Antsy found a third: humor. That is, cheerful acceptance of everything that a man who was ashamed of his roots would ordinarily deny. So it's no accident that this CD begins with a song called “Living in Aluminum”, which starts something like this: There's a lot to be said about contentment. Some folks never get enough. Let me ask you honey, which is better? A mansion full of money, or a trailer full of love? There's a lot to be said about acceptance,  liking who you are and having peace of mind. The secret's being happy with your lot in life, baby, And I'm pretty happy here in lot number nine. “Trailercana” is a tour of that hardscrabble Southern life and the people Antsy cherishes. Like Mary Anne Myers, who “put the funk in DysFUNKtional” and is just the woman you want to be around when she forgets she's mentally unstable: Some folks say what we're doing ain't right. Some might say it's just exploitation. But there's a party at her house tonight, And she hasn't been taking her medication. It's gonna be good. Nobody's gorgeous in Ansty-world: He had a face you can't remember Even when he'd hang around. And there's unexpected ugliness to boot --- as this song title attests: I was just flipped off by a silver haired old lady, with a “Honk If You Love Jesus” sticker on the bumper of her car. But getting caught up in that? Why, it would be petty. The important thing is there's always good news: love. And in America, you can marry anyone who will have you: I married up. My life is sweet as a daydream. I married up. And now we're living in her Airstream. I married up. I'm all about social status. I married up. She even knows who her Dad is. She could do better if her confidence'd let her, But it led her down the road to me. Seven years after, I'm still the benefactor Of the woman's low self esteem. I married up! Okay, so he's funny. But are the Troubadours a real band? Is Ansty a singer/songwriter who's got more going for him than shtick? Yes, and yes. And more: Antsy is a world unto himself. In his leisure suit and pomped hair, with those goofy songs and that country twang, he's an icon for hardcore fans --- they're called Flamingoheads, in honor of those pink birds you find outside the best trailers --- and irony-hungry slackers as well. Which is not to say this CD should be filed under “comedy.” Or played at parties when someone feels like a few laughs at the expense of the Red States. The fact is, Antsy's got a voice that's sweet as James Taylor. His songwriting puts you in mind of John Prine. And his band attracts such guests as Lindsay Buckingham and Bonnie Bramlett. That said, fun is the reason to seek out this performer. And fun he delivers. Let him give you the tour... His name: I was born Ronald Joseph McClain, and I am still known as "Ronnie Joe" by my Aunts, Uncles and cousins back home. I was known for having a lot of energy as a kid, and a junior high school football coach observed my over eager nature and aptly called me "Antsy" during a scrimmage game, and the nickname stayed with me, with most folks now just shortening it to the single syllable "Ants." Childhood: Raised, with one sister, in a small Kentucky trailer park by an Avon-selling mother. More than once, we got anonymous help. Once we got an envelope with five $20 bills and this: “MaryLou, we love you.” My mother cried, and kept that envelope all her life. Marital status: Married, 5 children Music: Bought a cheap guitar in the 1980s, started carrying it around when working as an interpreter for the Japanese auto industry. Songwriting philosophy: Don't we already have enough songs that say, "When we're apart, it breaks my heart" or 'I need you more than the trees need the rain"? Fame: I never wanted to be a 'household name," because I'm already a household name to six people who, I'm happy to say, include me in the center of their world. And that, I'm sure you'll agree, is the most rewarding part of life. Response to hardship: Established the MaryLou McClain Memorial Fund to honor my mother's with anonymous gifts: groceries, utility bills, house payments. If you wish to join the Flamingoheads with Heart Network, write TheTroubs@unhitched.com Hair preparation: Half a can of Rave #5 (spray, not pump) does wonders to tame my hair and keep it in place. Annual Cruise: PolyesterFest, with two kinds of accommodations: Aluminum (ocean view) and Doublewide (mini-suite plus balcony). What sort of novelty act gets hundreds of people to cruise to Cozumel with him? Get the CD. You'll see. --- Jesse Kornbluth, for HeadButler.com (with a tip of the trucker hat to Alice Winkler) To visit Antsy McClain's web site, click here. To hear an interview with Ansty on NPR, click here. To buy “Trailercana” from Amazon.com, click here. To buy “Time-Sweetened Lies” from Amazon.com, click here. Copyright 2007 by Head Butler Inc.